About Event

Exploring strategic self-funded growth and building better support systems for women founders
​This session is part of our 6-part Capital Conversations series, as part of the Capital Connect Program. This series is intentionally focused on women and gender-diverse founders; anonymized insights, resources, and ideas from all sessions will be shared publicly as a resource for the broader startup and innovation ecosystem.
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What is it about?

In today’s funding landscape, many women founders find themselves at a critical juncture: they’ve been bootstrapping their business and generating revenue, but need strategic capital to reach their next milestone. This session explores that crucial gap where founders need $50K-150K to create momentum.
​Whether you’re building a sustainable business without institutional capital or positioning for a future funding round, we’ll discuss the realities, opportunities, and emerging strategies for accessing the right capital for your path forward.

​What to Expect

Explore current trends and founder experiences with self-funded growth strategies
​Hear from ecosystem organizations serving this gap—from revenue-based financing to community funding models
​Engage in collaborative dialogue about strategic capital and co-create solutions for strengthening these funding pathways
​This isn’t another panel; it’s a community dialogue where your experience and insights help design more informed solutions for self and early-stage funding.

​Featured Speakers

• ​Heather Sadowy – Loans Manager, WEOC
• ​Rochelle Grayson – Founder, MOSAIC Accelerator

Who This Session is For

• ​Founders & Entrepreneurs, whether you’re just starting, actively navigating, or further along your bootstrapped journey. This session is also great for those who have bridged beyond bootstrapping and want to share their lessons learned.
• ​Ecosystem Builders from accelerators, incubators, investors, funders, government representatives, academia, and support organizations working directly to support bootstrapped founders and/or those bridging to other forms of capital.

​We prioritize participation from women and equity-deserving groups to ensure diverse voices shape these conversations. Please read the full program criteria here.

​​Leading This Session

• ​Nicole Troster – Founder and CEO, Coeurage Labs
• ​Melanie Ewan – Operations Director & Managing Partner, Volition